Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

Fabricating excuses and spreading disinformation cannot serve as a justification for the US' brutal blockade and illegal sanctions against Cuba, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday. 

Mao made the remarks when asked to comment on media reports that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senator said that US intelligence agencies during the Biden administration had found no evidence of Cuba supporting terrorism. Rubio reportedly responded that Cuba had "sponsored" almost every left-wing, radical, violent terrorist group in the Western Hemisphere and that no evidence was needed. He also reportedly claimed Cuba needs new leadership to achieve serious reforms so that it will no longer pose a threat to Washington. On the same day, media reports said that due to the US oil embargo on Cuba, transportation difficulties in Cuba have prevented the smooth distribution of 20,000 tons of food that the UN planned to provide to Cuba. 

The US has long imposed unilateral sanctions and a blockade on Cuba, severely affecting Cuba's economy and people's livelihoods and causing great suffering to the Cuban people, which has been widely opposed by the international community, said Mao.

China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security and opposes external interference. The US should listen to the call of the international community and immediately and fully end its blockade, sanctions, coercion and pressure against Cuba, Mao said.

Global Times